Listen to Jorge Fernandez, a Satellite Healthcare dialysis patient, the result of polycystic kidney disease, a genetic disorder, a condition well-known to his dietician, Terri Edelstein, at Satellite’s Stockton, California, dialysis center. Jorge and Terri have developed a unique long-term professional and personal relationship, one dedicated to sustaining the best quality of life possible. This is their story.

It was tough at first. I’m 28 years old. When I currently started dialysis, I was barely 21. So, it was hard for me to, like, even accept the fact that I was on dialysis and, like, being there, it would just kind of not cross my mind as important. I started just seeing things a lot different. I needed it to survive, you know? In order for me to keep living and keep going on."

Cultural competency is the delivery of healthcare services that meet the social, cultural, and even the food needs of patients, and that’s a top priority for our next guest, Registered Dietitian Rory Pace, Satellite Healthcare’s Director of Nutrition Services, who is responsible for overseeing the clinical practice of some 110 dietitians at 80 centers operating in six states.

Why do you go to work every day? Is it to make a difference in people’s lives through memorable, meaningful customer service, while connecting to your own sense of contribution and purpose? I believe that our next guest feels exactly that way— she is Nurse Sherri Rodrigues, clinical manager at Satellite Dialysis in Central Modesto, California.

I’m Christopher Springmann - you’re listening to NephTalk, a podcast series created with nephrologists in mind from Satellite Healthcare, a not-for-profit dialysis provider that leads the industry in home therapies while supporting clinical research.

Can the right inspirational management book reinforce your organization’s culture?

Absolutely, says Rick Barnett, President and CEO of Satellite Healthcare, who discovered just such a book called O Great One, and distributed hundreds of copies to staff because the book’s message is so nicely aligned with the company’s culture of employee recognition.

When Satellite Healthcare started developing Optimal Transitions™, the focus was on creating a game-changing educational program for dialysis patients. It also has proven it can be a game-changer for Nephrologists, including Jose Morfin, M.D., is a Sacramento area Nephrologist with UC Davis.

The sounds of laughter seem incongruous within the normal atmosphere of a dialysis center. But a new laughter therapy program at Satellite Healthcare centers across the country is breaking the mold. The man driving the innovative program – the first laughter therapy at any U.S. dialysis operation – is Paul Bennett.

The sounds of laughter seem incongruous within the normal atmosphere of a dialysis center. But a new laughter therapy program at Satellite Healthcare centers across the country is breaking the mold. The man driving the innovative program – the first laughter therapy at any U.S. dialysis operation – is Paul Bennett.